August i, 1887.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
97 
CINCHONA BABK. 
We should like to know from Messrs. Arbuth- 
not, Latham & Co. to what " figures " they refer, 
when in a circular letter intended for wide public- 
ity they make so unqualified a statement as 
" the figures given by the Ceylon Observer were 
" found on investigation to be absolutely unreliable." 
We have been most cautious year after year not 
to give in to the general anticipation that the 
Ceylon exports of cinohona barks were to drop 
suddenly by 40 to 50 per cent. We have uniformly 
warned our home readers that it was absolutely 
impossible to give a reliable estimate beforehand- 
early in October last we said, the shipments for 
1886-7 might be anything between 11 and 14 
million lb., and finally in that month we adopted 
12 million lb. as a working hypothesis, going 
higher in doing so than most other estimators. 
Already we are up to 11J millions, and with 2J 
months of the season yet to pass, it is probable the 
14 millions of exports may be made up. 
The following letter has been circulated by Messrs. 
Stanes & Oo. of Ooimbatore. 
London, 27th May, 1887. 
Dear Sirs, — As you have a good deal of cinchona grow- 
ing in the Neilgherry and Wynaad district, and you 
may be asked as to its future prospects the following 
information may be interesting to you. 
The moderate supplies brought forward at auction 
this week met with a steady competition. The quantity 
offered was less than at any previous sale this year, but 
proved quite sufficient tor the demand and prices re- 
remained unchanged. 
It is very difficult to forecast the future, for it ap- 
pears to depend mainly on the supplies from Oeylou and 
what these are likely to be, it is almost impossible to 
ascertain, the figures given in the Ceylon Observer 
and the estimates sent by Ceylon Firms being found 
on investigation to be absolutely unreliable. The 
general opinion seems to be that supplies from Ceylon 
will not fall off materially for the next 2 or 3 years. 
Up to the end of April this year shipments have 
only been the same as in the first 4 months of last 
year, but the low price ruling on this side has prob- 
ably tended to check shipments, and although our 
stock of bark is not large, the stocks of quinine 
stored on the continent and in the United States are 
very large indeed, and the market for quinine is very 
weak. The imports of quinine into America for the 
first 4 months of the year are 850,000 oz. against 
400,000 last year, and they have also bought bark 
very freely. 
India and Java will no doubt send more bark 
during the next 2 years than hitherto, and the Java 
bark is said to be exceedingly rich ; but we do not 
anticipate that the imports will be so excessive as 
to overwhelm us, especially if shipments from Ceylon 
should fall off. 
We send you some interesting figures, shewing first, 
the proportion of root bark out of the total shipments, 
which has some indication of what has been cut down, 
but we look upon the estimate given in Messrs. Fergu- 
son's Directory as to the quantity of trees cut down, and 
rooted up to make way for tea as untrustworthy, 
you will notice also that the Board of Trade re- 
turns are totally at variance with figures given iu 
Smith's list. 
<)u the whole wo should recommend your shipping 
any bark suitable for Druggists, say show bark and 
quills, as quickly as possible while the demand lasts for 
this class of bark ; but for ordinary manufacturing bark 
we think prices will certainly be as high, if not higher, 
aexl year than they arc now, and when a big war docs 
take place, (and we certainly believe it will come within 
Hie next year or two) the demand for quinine will be- 
very large indeed.— We are, Dear Sir, 
AnuuTusor, Latham k Oo. 
The estimate 1,500 trees to the aero. 
This would work out as follows :— lo'.UOO acres + 
,600 trees 21,000,000 trees. If each treo gave only 
13 
1 lb. bark it would be equivalent to half entire ship, 
ments of bark from Ceylon from 1883 to date.. 
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Total Shipments prom Cfyt.on, 1st October to 
30th September. 
1882-3 
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1884.5 
18sV<i 
1886-7 to Oth April 
lb. 
6,923,695 
11,492,947 
11,678,860 
15,364,912 
8.002,917 
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